A96 Colpy section to see improvements after a spate of accidents
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New road signs and markings are to be put in place at a notorious A96 junction following concerns from an MSP after 11 crashes were recorded along its stretch in just three years.
MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Alexander Burnett, wrote to the Scottish Government expressing fears over the number of collisions which were occurring on a “weekly basis” at the Colpy junction between Pitmachie and Huntly.
In their response, the Scottish Government revealed 11 “personal injury” collisions had occurred between Pitmachie and Huntly between January 2020 and December 2022.
It comes after two pensioners were seriously injured after a lorry and four cars collided at the junction near Morgan McVeighs earlier this year.
The crash prompted a meeting between Amey's road Safety Team, Police Scotland and Transport Scotland and Mr Burnett has now been informed that new road signs and markings will be put in place following his concerns.
Mr Burnett, who has also met representatives from Amey regarding the junction, said: “While I welcome action being taken to improve safety at this dangerous junction, I still believe the layout in its present form presents huge risks to motorists trying to join the A96 from Colpy.
“I’m disappointed Police Scotland haven’t raised any specific safety concerns to the Scottish Government.
“There are near misses and collisions on this stretch of the road on a weekly basis and as we have seen, they can have catastrophic consequences for those involved.
“Motorists often take their life into their own hands when trying to cross the carriageway at Colpy which is why I want to see the layout of the junction changed to mitigate these risks.
“This should have happened years ago under plans to dual the A96 but shockingly, the proposals to upgrade the road in full are now in doubt due to the SNP-Green coalition at Holyrood.
“I believe more needs to be done in addition to the new signage and road markings and for the sake of families whose loved ones have been impacted by collisions at the junction, I hope this can be achieved in the future.”
In their response, the Scottish Government said: “As advised, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland and Amey met to discuss this most recent accident that occurred on January 12, and the safety of the trunk road network between Huntly and Pitmachie more generally.
“Police Scotland did not raise any specific road safety concerns with the section between Pitmachie and Huntly, however, based on the discussions, it was agreed to review the location of road signs and type of road markings at the junction to Morgan McVeighs/trunk road layby with a view to improving overall road safety.”
